About The GOFARR Fund

GOFARR NEWS

Groundbreaking Research

Chronic Kidney Disease afflicts roughly 26 million Americans causing kidney failure and the need for supportive care. While dialysis and kidney transplantation definitely make a difference in the well being of these individuals, the GOFARR lab aims to use tools in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering in the hope of discovering new therapies that may offer viable if not better alternatives for patients facing End Stage Kidney Disease.

Dr. De Filippo’s research involves a method of treating kidney disease with stem and progenitor cells derived from amniotic fluid (AFSC). His scientific team, which includes Laura Perin, PhD, one of the original investigators of AFSC and co-director of the GOFARR Laboratory, discovered that AFSC therapy increased survival in animals suffering from chronic kidney disease. Dr. De Filippo’s team of researchers are also focusing on creating new kidneys in the laboratory as well as other organs for possible transplantation in the future. There are great prospects that this research may actually be delivered into patients in the very near future.

GOFARR is an organization dedicated to supporting cutting edge research at The Saban Research Institute at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Our GOFARR funds are being used to support Organ Regenerative Research and Cell Therapeutic applications affecting the kidney. Also, we were honored to learn that the lab where such research is being pursued has now been named the GOFARR Lab.

Over the last decade, Regenerative Medicine has taken center stage concerning the treatment of many diseases and aims to restore or enhance tissue and organ function in the face of disease. The GOFARR Lab has been successful in recreating a variety of organs and continues to refine these technologies so that bioengineered organs can evolve to become a viable option for patients facing transplants in the future. This research along with the utilization of amniotic stem cells to treat both acute and chronic kidney disease, are the cornerstone of the scientific effort at the GOFARR Lab.

GOFFAR began when our son was born with kidney disease. He is one of thousands of children in the country living with a condition that will almost certainly lead to chronic kidney failure and ultimately dialysis and/or a kidney transplant. When we learned about our son’s diagnosis, we decided to turn a challenging situation into a positive one, establishing the GOFARR Fund.